2012.07.25 Roger Gallup: Think about making an organ donation

Written by David Green.

I would like to take this opportunity to ask our community to consider organ donation.

I recently had a liver transplant at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. I was placed on the transplant list in May 2009. I received my liver on April 20, 2012, after waiting nearly three years. I’m fortunate that I am a 6’1” male who weighed about 230 pounds and my blood type is O positive. The bottom line is I’m pretty generic and could take any size liver. I still waited almost three years.

All I’m asking is that everyone have a conversation with their families. No one is too old or too young. Know where you all stand on organ donation. If you are at all interested in donating your organs, please go to www.organdonor.gov and register. It takes less than one minute. One donor saves as many as eight lives and helps many others through tissue donation.

The last thing I want to leave you with is that I’m doing so much better in the two and a half months since my transplant. I can’t thank my donor family enough for making the decision to donate at a time when they were losing a loved one. I thank them every day that I wake up feeling great.